How's the LC200 refresh/8-speed holding up now that it's 4+ years old? (1 Viewer)

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If it's relevant to the OP's decision, it's not a sidetrack! The 8 is great for towing. Plenty of gear selection for any situation. My wife is a virtuoso with the gear shift coming down mountain passes with 3500 lbs of trailer pushing, choosing just the right ratio to avoid the brakes and keep speed under control.
Thanks for the info, it’s definitely relevant to to me. That’s similar in size to what I pull, how is it going up those mountain passes?
 
I mostly pull a 20 foot aluminum Xpress H20Bay boat with 115sho. It is single axle and loaded down I say 3500lb max. I can pull that in 6th gear at 80mph with cruise set and never once slow done for any hill or bridge or road I run between Austin and Beaumont TX area. I get 10 to 12 mph pulling boat. I have passing power and zero issue off line getting moving. Braking from speed not and issue and I do not have trailer brakes. I have also pulled 5500lb 2 axle travel trailer with trailer brakes and that was easy peasy as well.
 
I mostly pull a 20 foot aluminum Xpress H20Bay boat with 115sho. It is single axle and loaded down I say 3500lb max. I can pull that in 6th gear at 80mph with cruise set and never once slow done for any hill or bridge or road I run between Austin and Beaumont TX area. I get 10 to 12 mph pulling boat. I have passing power and zero issue off line getting moving. Braking from speed not and issue and I do not have trailer brakes. I have also pulled 5500lb 2 axle travel trailer with trailer brakes and that was easy peasy as well.
This is great news to hear. I was worried I would want to regear after adding some weight with bumpers and stuff but it sounds like the 8 speed really hits the sweet spot with the torque curve of the 5.7.
 
This is great news to hear. I was worried I would want to regear after adding some weight with bumpers and stuff but it sounds like the 8 speed really hits the sweet spot with the torque curve of the 5.7.
I remember one of our UAE or Saudi members posting that they prefer the 4.7 in the desert because it has more low end grunt. And I think they are right.. the 5.7 has plenty of power, but it does best with some RPMs to make it useful. Those extra gears probably would work great.
 
I do find one thing kind of odd may be more motor than trans. I regularly run about 235 miles one way from Austin to Beaumont to go fishing with my dad. I have noticed that below 2000rpm say running 70 to 75 in 8th I see about 16.5 mpg. If I run 2000rpm or above say 80+ I get 17 mpg according to engine computer. Assuming the numbers are correct the 5.7 must have a torque jump at 2000rpm and engine leans out a little. Either way brick getting pushed through air but 2000rpm and above seems to run better. One of these days I going to do the 235 mile run and set 7th as highest gear and stay in 70 to 75 range and see what happens.
 
I do find one thing kind of odd may be more motor than trans. I regularly run about 235 miles one way from Austin to Beaumont to go fishing with my dad. I have noticed that below 2000rpm say running 70 to 75 in 8th I see about 16.5 mpg. If I run 2000rpm or above say 80+ I get 17 mpg according to engine computer. Assuming the numbers are correct the 5.7 must have a torque jump at 2000rpm and engine leans out a little. Either way brick getting pushed through air but 2000rpm and above seems to run better. One of these days I going to do the 235 mile run and set 7th as highest gear and stay in 70 to 75 range and see what happens.
I’d say you can’t trust the on-board computer, but you wouldn’t be the first person to notice a... complex relationship between rpms and mileage.
 
I do find one thing kind of odd may be more motor than trans. I regularly run about 235 miles one way from Austin to Beaumont to go fishing with my dad. I have noticed that below 2000rpm say running 70 to 75 in 8th I see about 16.5 mpg. If I run 2000rpm or above say 80+ I get 17 mpg according to engine computer. Assuming the numbers are correct the 5.7 must have a torque jump at 2000rpm and engine leans out a little. Either way brick getting pushed through air but 2000rpm and above seems to run better. One of these days I going to do the 235 mile run and set 7th as highest gear and stay in 70 to 75 range and see what happens.

I got 16+ going 100 for extended periods of time. Engine just hums along at 2.2k RPM at that speed in 8th.
 
good notes guys. I pull a cheaply (heavily) built 24’ 8500+lb tall overkill car hauler for SCCA stuff (the car only weighs 1500lb, the trailer is a horse its 6k with almost nothing in it) with the tundra and hope to downsize to a 18-20’ aluminum when it inevitably rusts back into the earth. I did not know about the bigger brakes on the newer ones. I also didn’t know you could get a 3rd row on the LX so now I can add that to my shopping list if I decide to go lightly used.

This is a great forum. Good traffic and excellent signal to noise ratio. Online community for enablement and troubleshooting is super important as I DIY most things sooo I’m sold.

Now do I wait around until the rona kicks us all in the nuts a few more times before trying to get one, or get one now while I still can. It doesn’t help I just got my brother in law to look at one and convinced him to buy it, and it happened to be the last one in the spec I want in the area. Own-goal
 
This is a great forum. Good traffic and excellent signal to noise ratio. Online community for enablement and troubleshooting is super important as I DIY most things sooo I’m sold.

This is why I personally can be so militant/overbearing about calling people out when things get off-topic or are posted in the wrong section. There is a staggering amount of info posted in these forum sections, and it is already difficult enough to find the relevant stuff.

But yeah, this community is awesome, and there are some very smart and generous people posting here often. Major factor in making owning/troubleshooting/modding these things so easy.
 
I remember one of our UAE or Saudi members posting that they prefer the 4.7 in the desert because it has more low end grunt. And I think they are right.. the 5.7 has plenty of power, but it does best with some RPMs to make it useful. Those extra gears probably would work great.

I don't actually believe the 4.7L 4.6L makes more low end torque. Doesn't mean their impression is necessarily wrong, just the anecdote is not very likely true. Especially as the 5.7L has that much more displacement. I think we all intuitively know, displacement = torque. Especially at the low end.

I think the impression is formed by:
1) To your point, the 5.7L makes that much more power up top that it may make the low end feel relatively less
2) 4.6L cruisers are lighter weight. Less engine mass and less standard level of features
3) 10% more gearing with a standard 4.3 diff ratio (as opposed to the 5.7L 3.9 diff fitment), for perceived higher initial torque at the wheels
 
I only have experience with the A440F, H55F and the 8 speed. Let me tell you the 8 speed is definitely an upgrade over the other two :hillbilly: The A440F was such a dog (sucked up so much power) that any tire size change effectively required a re-gear. I went through a rebuild, a custom stalled converter and 3 different valvebodies before I gave up and swapped to the H55F.

This isn't off topic, as much as it might seem. Toyota has been improving the autos in cruiser's since '88.
 
I don't actually believe the 4.7L 4.6L makes more low end torque. Doesn't mean their impression is necessarily wrong, just the anecdote is not very likely true. Especially as the 5.7L has that much more displacement. I think we all intuitively know, displacement = torque. Especially at the low end.

I think the impression is formed by:
1) To your point, the 5.7L makes that much more power up top that it may make the low end feel relatively less
2) 4.6L cruisers are lighter weight. Less engine mass and less standard level of features
3) 10% more gearing with a standard 4.3 diff ratio (as opposed to the 5.7L 3.9 diff fitment), for perceived higher initial torque at the wheels

You know as well as anyone that if you put short fat intake runners on that larger engine it'll likely be more of a high-rpm lower-torque engine than would be expected based on the displacement alone. Just an example to show displacement doesn't necessarily mean more torque, depending on how it's tuned. And really, to get well over 50% more power with less than 20% more displacement, you'd have to assume the 3UR was geared more toward horsepower than grunt.

That said, yes, it could be gearing or weight.

I've personally not driven a 4.7 cruiser, but am repeating something that surprised me when I read it posted by a guy that clearly spends a lot of time on dunes in landcruisers. Sadly I'll have trouble trying to dig up the post, but I am pretty sure that's what I read.

The point stands though.. our engine with an 8spd should be an amazing combination.
 
I don't actually believe the 4.7L 4.6L makes more low end torque. Doesn't mean their impression is necessarily wrong, just the anecdote is not very likely true. Especially as the 5.7L has that much more displacement. I think we all intuitively know, displacement = torque. Especially at the low end.

I think the impression is formed by:
1) To your point, the 5.7L makes that much more power up top that it may make the low end feel relatively less
2) 4.6L cruisers are lighter weight. Less engine mass and less standard level of features
3) 10% more gearing with a standard 4.3 diff ratio (as opposed to the 5.7L 3.9 diff fitment), for perceived higher initial torque at the wheels

Agreed. My GX 460 with the 4.6 felt about the same as the 5.7 in the 200. But as you say, lighter vehicle, smaller, better turning radius, etc. All sorts of things factor into feel. But factor everything in and the 5.7 200 sure feels a lot more capable and willing in all scenarios. Don't get me wrong, the 4.6/6 speed is a fantastic combo, and even fully loaded I could get 19.-20.5mpg highway in normal conditions. But it isn't the 5.7.
 
You know as well as anyone that if you put short fat intake runners on that larger engine it'll likely be more of a high-rpm lower-torque engine than would be expected based on the displacement alone. Just an example to show displacement doesn't necessarily mean more torque, depending on how it's tuned. And really, to get well over 50% more power with less than 20% more displacement, you'd have to assume the 3UR was geared more toward horsepower than grunt.

That said, yes, it could be gearing or weight.

I've personally not driven a 4.7 cruiser, but am repeating something that surprised me when I read it posted by a guy that clearly spends a lot of time on dunes in landcruisers. Sadly I'll have trouble trying to dig up the post, but I am pretty sure that's what I read.

The point stands though.. our engine with an 8spd should be an amazing combination.

Yes, I remember the video comment by Ahmed doing awesome things in the dunes. It stood out then as not likely correct.

While it's possible to tune a smaller displacement motor to be a one note torque wonder, it's not likely. OEMs tune for broad tractability. As they both are from the UR engine family for trucks, the tuning strategy would be similar. With the predominant variable being larger displacement, 20% larger, dictating which is going to put up larger numbers.

I wholly agree with you that the 8 spd with the 5.7 is the been knees. Wonder what Ahmed could do with power and the 18% lower gearing in first, if he got the 8-speed combo in Dubai...
 
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In the gulf the early years of the 200 was sold with the 2UZ 4.7L engine.. I’m pretty sure this engine is what he was referring to. Yes less displacement but a different engine family and his real-world experience of more usable available torque is plausible. I hesitate to tell people that have driven both examples of something that they were wrong with their observations.

Also with a little digging.. same 4.10 gears as the URJ200 in later years.

Either way, I sure sent this down a tangent. OP.. I can’t imagine you being unhappy with any solid 200 you buy. They are epic even with the old 6spd.
 
Thanks for the info, it’s definitely relevant to to me. That’s similar in size to what I pull, how is it going up those mountain passes?
That’s when 401 ft-lbs of torque takes over. Smooth, easy pull with the 8 speed allowing the engine to breathe just right to build HP.
 
Found this dyno chart for 5.7. This picture was hard to find. Black Stock Red Header Thorley.
5.7 graph.jpg
Header .
 
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I'm familiar with the previous 4.7L, having had that in my T4R, LX470, and families GX470. Great great motor. Smoother in ways than the 5.7L. The current 4.6L and 5.7L outclasses that motor which is no surprise being a generation newer. Biggest difference to powerband is the implementation of dual VVTi controls (intake and exhaust cams) vice just VVTi on just the intake cam on the 4.7L. Dual vvti allows optimizing volumetric efficiency, aka breathing, aka torque across a broader spectrum of rpm as there's less trade in optimizing valve timing for low or high. While also bringing better mileage efficiency.

Thanks for that dyno @rscoleman . She's a brute.
 
I'm familiar with the previous 4.7L, having had that in my T4R, LX470, and families GX470. Great great motor. Smoother in ways than the 5.7L. The current 4.6L and 5.7L outclasses that motor which is no surprise being a generation newer. Biggest difference to powerband is the implementation of dual VVTi controls (intake and exhaust cams) vice just VVTi on just the intake cam on the 4.7L. Dual vvti allows optimizing volumetric efficiency, aka breathing, aka torque across a broader spectrum of rpm as there's less trade in optimizing valve timing for low or high. While also bringing better mileage efficiency.

Thanks for that dyno @rscoleman . She's a brute.

Agree on 4.7 smoothness over 5.7. I feel the pre-VVTi 4.7 was one of the smoothest V8’s ever made. When they added VVT, it lost some of its refinement but gained some top end power.


The VVT in the 5.7 is quite aggressive with a significant increase in power felt as the RPM rolls thru and past ~3,000.

Curious to see if 5.7s regularly hit the 500k mark as time goes on. The million mile 4.7 that came out of the Tundra was still in factory spec on internal clearances.....

On another note, drove the folk’s 2020 LX today around town. Transmission must have different shift logic as it is not nearly as clunky as the 2020 Cruisers. Also, interior noise is very similar if not identical between the two. Slightly more engine and intake noise in the Toyota but the LX did not have a noticeable difference/reduction in wind or road/tire noise.
 
Agree on 4.7 smoothness over 5.7. I feel the pre-VVTi 4.7 was one of the smoothest V8’s ever made. When they added VVT, it lost some of its refinement but gained some top end power.


The VVT in the 5.7 is quite aggressive with a significant increase in power felt as the RPM rolls thru and past ~3,000.

Curious to see if 5.7s regularly hit the 500k mark as time goes on. The million mile 4.7 that came out of the Tundra was still in factory spec on internal clearances.....

On another note, drove the folk’s 2020 LX today around town. Transmission must have different shift logic as it is not nearly as clunky as the 2020 Cruisers. Also, interior noise is very similar if not identical between the two. Slightly more engine and intake noise in the Toyota but the LX did not have a noticeable difference/reduction in wind or road/tire noise.
there is a million mile 5.7 tundra
 

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